Method of processing an E-mail message that includes a representation of an envelope

• US 6,304,897 B1
• Filed: 11/01/1999
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PostX Corporation (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nanja, Sekaran, Chern, Vincent Min-Hao, Gujarathi, Haresh, Venkatraman, Rajamadam C.
• Primary Examiner(s): WINDER, PATRICE L
• Application Number:
  US09/433,033
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards a method of processing an e-mail message that includes a representation of an envelope. The electronic envelope includes a time stamp, sender identity identification and/or other objects that are displayed on a computer screen of the user. Upon initiation of a user action when a cursor is positioned at a screen location corresponding to the time stamp or sender identity identification, this action causes the computer to connect to a location associated with the time stamp or the sender identity identification.

Claims

1. A method of processing an e-mail message that includes a representation of an envelope containing a time stamp on a computer screen of a computer, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at said computer, said e-mail message that includes said representation of said envelope containing said time stamp;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, a representation of a front of said envelope;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, said time stamp at a screen location that is within the front of the envelope; and

causing, upon initiation of a user action when a cursor is positioned on said computer screen at the screen location corresponding to that of said time stamp, said computer to connect with a location associated with said time stamp, wherein a uniform resource locator is used to determine said location.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of rendering said envelope renders said envelope front so that it is rectangular in shape and said time stamp is located on the upper right hand corner of said rectangular envelope.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said e-mail message further includes a stamp, said stamp being displayed on said screen at the upper right hand corner of said rectangular envelope such that said time stamp overlaps said stamp, and said method further comprises the step of:

causing, upon initiation of another user action when said cursor is positioned on said computer screen in another screen location corresponding to that of said stamp, said computer to connect with another location associated with said stamp.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said step of causing said computer to connect with said another location associated with said stamp uses another uniform resource locator to determine said location.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said e-mail message further includes textual content, said textual content being represented by an object on said envelope, and further comprising the step of causing, upon initiation of another user action when said cursor is positioned on said computer screen in another screen location corresponding to that of said object, said computer to display said textual content.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein upon initiation of said another user action causing said computer to display said textual content, said another user action also causes the steps of:

generating an electronic response indicating said textual content has been displayed by said computer; and

transmitting said generated electronic response.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of said envelope front and said time stamp have an associated component identifier which said computer uses when rendering said envelope front and said time stamp.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein each of said envelope front and said time stamp have associated component height data and component width data which said computer uses when rendering said envelope front and said time stamp.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein each of said envelope front and said time stamp have associated vertical screen location data and horizontal screen location data which said computer uses when rendering said envelope front and said time stamp.

10. A method according to claim 8, where in said envelope time stamp has an associated sub-component identifier which said computer uses during said step of causing said computer to connect with said another location associated with said stamp.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein said time stamp provides both a date and a time.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said time stamp is provided from a time stamp server.

13. A method of processing an e-mail message that includes a representation of an envelope containing a time stamp on a computer screen of a computer, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at said computer, said e-mail message that includes said representation of said envelope containing said time stamp;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, a representation of a front of said envelope;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, said time stamp at a screen location that is within the front of the envelope; and

causing, upon initiation of a user action when a cursor is positioned on said computer screen at the screen location corresponding to that of said time stamp, said computer to connect with a location associated with said time stamp, wherein said step of causing is performed by execution of executable software that is received by said computer with said e-mail message.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said e-mail message further includes textual content, said textual content being represented by an object on said envelope, and further comprising the step of causing, upon initiation of another user action when said cursor is positioned on said computer screen in another screen location corresponding to that of said object, said computer to display said textual content.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein upon initiation of said another user action causing said computer to display said textual content, said another user action also causes the steps of:

generating an electronic response indicating said textual content has been displayed by said computer; and

transmitting said generated electronic response.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein each of said envelope front and said time stamp have an associated component identifier which said computer uses when rendering said envelope front and said time stamp.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein each of said envelope front and said time stamp have associated component height data and component width data which said computer uses when rendering said envelope front and said time stamp.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein each of said envelope front and said time stamp have associated vertical screen location data and horizontal screen location data which said computer uses when rendering said envelope front and said time stamp.

19. A method according to claim 13, wherein said time stamp provides both a date and a time.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein said time stamp is provided from a time stamp server.

21. A method of processing an e-mail message that includes a representation of an envelope containing a time stamp on a computer screen of a computer, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at said computer, said e-mail message that includes said representation of said envelope containing said time stamp;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, a representation of a front of said envelope;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, said time stamp at a screen location that is within the front of the envelope; and

causing, upon initiation of a user action when a cursor is positioned on said computer screen at the screen location corresponding to that of said time stamp, said computer to connect with a location associated with said time stamp,

wherein said e-mail message further includes another object, said object being displayed on said screen and said method further comprises the step of causing, upon initiation of another user action when said cursor is positioned on said computer screen in another screen location corresponding to that of said object, said computer to produce audio tones.

22. A method of processing an e-mail message that includes a representation of an envelope containing a time stamp on a computer screen of a computer, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at said computer, said e-mail message that includes said representation of said envelope containing said time stamp;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, a representation of a front of said envelope;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, said time stamp at a screen location that is within the front of the envelope; and

causing, upon initiation of a user action when a cursor is positioned on said computer screen at the screen location corresponding to that of said time stamp, said computer to connect with a location associated with said time stamp,

wherein said e-mail message further includes another object, said object being displayed on said screen and said method further comprises the step of causing, upon initiation of another user action when said cursor is positioned on said computer screen in another screen location corresponding to that of said object, said computer to play a video.

23. A method of processing an e-mail message that includes a representation of an envelope containing a sender identity identification on a computer screen of a computer, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at said computer, said e-mail message that includes said representation of said envelope containing said sender identity;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, a representation of a front of said envelope;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, said sender identity identification at a screen location that is within the front of the envelope; and

causing, upon initiation of a user action when a cursor is positioned on said computer screen at the screen location corresponding to that of said sender identity identification, said computer to connect with a location associated with said sender identity identification, wherein a uniform resource locator is used to determine said location.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein said step of rendering said envelope renders said envelope front so that it is rectangular in shape, said sender identity identification is located on the upper left hand corner of said rectangular envelope and said time stamp is located on the upper right hand corner of said rectangular envelope.

25. A method according to claim 23, wherein said sender identity is represented as one of a logo and an address.

26. A method of processing an e-mail message that includes a representation of an envelope containing a sender identity identification on a computer screen of a computer, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at said computer, said e-mail message that includes said representation of said envelope containing said sender identity and a time stamp;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, a representation of a front of said envelope;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, said sender identity identification at a screen location that is within the front of the envelope;

causing, upon initiation of a user action when a cursor is positioned on said computer screen at the screen location corresponding to that of said sender identity identification, said computer to connect with a location associated with said sender identity identification; and

causing, upon initiation of another user action when said cursor is positioned on said computer screen in another screen location corresponding to that of said time stamp, said computer to connect with another location associated with said time stamp.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein said step of causing said computer to connect with said another location associated with said time stamp uses another uniform resource locator to determine said location.

28. A method according to claim 26, wherein said e-mail message further includes a stamp, said stamp being displayed on said screen at the upper right hand corner of said rectangular envelope such that said time stamp overlaps said stamp and said method further comprises the step of:

causing, upon initiation of a further user action when said cursor is positioned on said computer screen in another screen location corresponding to that of said stamp, said computer to connect with another location associated with said stamp.

29. A method according to claim 26, wherein said step of rendering said envelope renders said envelope front so that it is rectangular in shape, said sender identity identification is located on the upper left hand corner of said rectangular envelope and said time stamp is located on the upper right hand corner of said rectangular envelope.

30. A method according to claim 26, wherein said sender identity is represented as one of a logo and an address.

31. A method of processing an e-mail message that includes a representation of an envelope containing a sender identity identification on a computer screen of a computer, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at said computer, said e-mail message that includes said representation of said envelope containing said sender identity and a request for a configured response, said request for said configured response being represented by an object on said envelope;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, a representation of a front of said envelope;

rendering on said computer screen, using said computer, said sender identity identification at a screen location that is within the front of the envelope;

causing, upon initiation of a user action when a cursor is positioned on said computer screen at the screen location corresponding to that of said sender identity identification, said computer to connect with a location associated with said sender identity identification; and

causing, upon initiation of another user action when said cursor is positioned on said computer screen in another screen location corresponding to that of said object, said computer to display said request for configured response;

compiling of said configured response entered into said computer by said user; and

transmitting said compiled configured response from said computer.